Blood River

10. Their Children: Part One

Nineteen years after the sunshot campaign - the biggest, longest and bloodiest conflict in the cultivation world. The first to involve and proclaim multiple innocent souls, and hopefully the last as well - The five great clans now live in peace again.

Four of the great sects recieve invites from Gusu - the nostalgia they feel looking at those white invites with clouds marked on them is outworldy, almost bringing them to tears. Last time they saw this so many people were still alive, so many sects still existed, and so much had yet to happen.

Looking at those envelopes they wonder if they'll ever be as naive as they once were, if they can ever trust each other like they once did.

"  The Lan Clan of Gusu invites the hiers of all the sects for indoctrination for 10 months in our residence, the Cloud Recesses.
    All Clan leaders are to present their hiers on the 1st of March for the commencment of lessons.
    Particiaption would be well appreciated, denial will be accepted.
 
                 Sincerily, Sect Leader Lan"

Today, shortly after new years (the chinese one), the clans recieve this invitation with much glee, seeing as most of their hiers are of the right age to Join these lectures (14 - 16 years old). This is the age where most cultivators start officially building their career and leave their skills and attitude up to the world to judge, finally making a debut in real live experiences.

For the first time in almost two decades, the world would get to see who exactly their future rulers are and guess at what that would lead the world into. Would they lead to another war? Would they mantain the peace their parents established?

Just like that, the Lanling Jin Sect's Jin RuLan, the Yunmeng Jiang Sect's Lotus trio, the moonlit ocean and the gentle breeze of the Qinghe Nie Sect, and the Qishan Wen Sect's Wen JingHuá and Wen QingYi get ready to start their adventures as they officialy make their debut as the next generation of the cultivation world.

While the Twin Blossoms* of the Lan wait patiently for the arrival of the guest disciples by the main gates of the cloud recesses.

"JingYi, stay still. Uncle will be here soon" Lan Yuan, Courtesy Sizhui, the hier to the Lan Clan, warns his brother as he stands at the reception pavilion just at top of the long stairway leading to the cloud recesses.

"Yes, yes." Lan Qi, Courtesy Jingyi, the second in line for the throne, responded nochantly continuing to move about, trying to get a glimpse of any aproaching flags.

It was a tradition since a few decades ago, where the sect leaders would come with their children to the deliver them at the indocrination, the commencement of classes was taken as a friendly sect meeting.

So the first day - the reception ceremony - was usually boistorous and nothing like the Lans where used to, hence Jingyi's excitment, he'd seen the reception and observed guest disciples from afar, but this was the first time he'd get to be in classes with these strangers.

Despite being a Lan, he loved being in town more because of how tediously silent his family was, family dinners made him want to dig his organs out.

When the Lan turned fourteen, there hadn't been guest lectures in two years which left him disheartened, but once he heard that the clan leader was out of seclusion after three years and sent off an invite himself, his mood immediately boosted and looked forward for another year.

"Xiongzhang*, who do you think will be arriving first?" He asked excitedly still standing on his tiptoes every now and then to peek at the stairs.

"Qinghe is the clo-"

"I really want to see the lotus trio, I heard you really can't tell them apart" Jingyi quickly cut his brother off before the older could respond.

"Do not cut people off, Jingyi" a deep, demanding yet soothing voice sounded. The two turned to look back, one scared and the other excited.